Below we have provided some handy hints for the  creation of your submission.

• Plan early to devote the time to the project.
• Get all your staff involved. This not only helps ease the workload, it also builds their enthusiasm and ownership of the project.
• Treat your submission as a three year business plan. It may take a lot of work to get your first submission together, but next year it will be easier and the year after even easier still as the basis will already be there.
• Get organised early. Don’t leave your submission to the last minute.
• Prepare each section in bullet point form first then flesh it out. That way you ensure you cover all points in the space allowed.
• Read the rules thoroughly. (Then read them again!) Don’t lose points for not following the rules. These points could mean the difference to being the winner.

• Answer every question fully including all sub-section. Incomplete responses to questions are heavily marked down.
• Try to put some emotion or personality into the submission – judges want to feel the passion! Show how much your business means to you and your customers.
• Make the submission easy to read. The easier the information is to find, the better. If you don’t have enough space, you’ve probably got too much irrelevant information.
• Use graphics, tables and graphs to illustrate and emphasis important items.
• Avoid overuse of the first person pronoun if the submission is on behalf of a business.
• It’s about the process. Don’t leave out the “why” when detailing actions and outcomes.
• Don’t assume the judges will know about your business. This is particularly important if you were to win a WA Award as the national judges often know little about WA operators.
• Put sub-question headings above relevant responses.
• Don’t run out of steam. It’s a fact for many submissions the responses to later number questions are not as focused as those earlier in the submissions, resulting in mark downs.
• Set aside at least one full day to do an index - it's a time consuming job.
• Keep it simple. Don’t use fancy or shiny paper. These can be hard to read at night when the judges are often reading them.
• Nice wide margins make the submission easier to read.

• Edit copy again and again. Responses should only contain information relevant to the particular question to avoid confusion.
• Give it to an objective person to proofread and edit before you submit it.
• Get a second (and third) opinion. Have someone read your submission and critique your responses to the questions. They could be someone who knows your business well and perhaps someone that doesn’t.
• Print out the final copy before you need to, last minute computer glitches always seem to happen when you're in a hurry!
• Try to get the submission in at least a week before the deadline to relieve the stress & pressure.